The present invention relates to an asymmetrical cryptological method. A symmetrical cryptological methods are described generally in Menezes: Handbook of Applied Cryptography, 1997. The present invention relates in particular to all forms of asymmetrical cryptological methods. Such methods are used, for example, in ATM cards/bank transactions, access controls to networks/databases, entry controls to buildings/rooms, digital signatures, digital IDs/patient cards, etc.
A crucial problem of all known open cryptological methods is the reliable assignment to the authorized user of the utilized signature and encryption keys and the confirmation of the assignment by an independent third entity. In technical terms, this is a question of the reliable personalization of the keys along with subsequent certification.
Trustworthy methods, such as are described by Kowalski, in The Telecommunications Engineer 4/5 1995: “Security Management System,” solve this problem currently by generating, personalizing, and certifying keys of this type at a central, particularly secure location (usually so-called Trust Centers).
However, it cannot be excluded that in the future the users themselves will increasingly wish to generate their cryptokeys, in particular those for encryption. This desire should not be realized at the expense of the security and reliability of the method in question, as is the case today in the only loosely organized asymmetrical cryptological methods of the Internet. In generating asymmetrical cryptokeys in the handwriting of the user, signature and encryption keys are necessary, and in personalizing and certifying, reliable connections to a Trust Center are necessary. If users wish to generate their own keys, particularly cryptokeys, security problems arise.